Abstract
Research has benefitted enormously from the digital revolution through the ability to communicate and analyse digital data. A key enabler, a sine qua non, of this development is a robust and sustainable data infrastructure. The benefits of open data are widely recognized but they pose challenges for how to fund and sustain common infrastructures, particularly those that need to expand considerably to meet the increasing demand for and availability of data, as well as demand for additional services.
Whether we like it or not, for data repositories to be sustainable, they need to have a robust business model which demonstrates clear alignment between, on the one hand, their mission, activities and services and, on the other, the needs of the community they serve, the objectives and policies of funders and the willingness and ability to pay of those entities that provide income. The robustness of income streams, the diversification of sources of income and cost restraint are elements to be taken into consideration.
This paper will provide a brief introduction to the session considering the economics of sustainable data repositories from a variety of perspectives and will do so in the context of a CODATA-coordinated OECD Global Science Forum Project on ‘Sustainable Business Models for Data Repositories’. The session will not be a report on this project, but will contribute substantively to the work of this project by articulating and discussing various stakeholder perspectives on sustainable business models.
Whether we like it or not, for data repositories to be sustainable, they need to have a robust business model which demonstrates clear alignment between, on the one hand, their mission, activities and services and, on the other, the needs of the community they serve, the objectives and policies of funders and the willingness and ability to pay of those entities that provide income. The robustness of income streams, the diversification of sources of income and cost restraint are elements to be taken into consideration.
This paper will provide a brief introduction to the session considering the economics of sustainable data repositories from a variety of perspectives and will do so in the context of a CODATA-coordinated OECD Global Science Forum Project on ‘Sustainable Business Models for Data Repositories’. The session will not be a report on this project, but will contribute substantively to the work of this project by articulating and discussing various stakeholder perspectives on sustainable business models.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | SciDataCon 2016 Advancing the Frontiers of Data in Research |
| Subtitle of host publication | Web-based proceedings |
| Publication status | Published - 2016 |
Keywords
- Data Repositories
- Sustainable
- Business models